Porcine Epidemic Diarrhoea was first identified in the US mid-May but testing of samples collected since last December revealed the infection has been present in the US since at least mid-April and it has now spread to several states affecting over 250 sites.

The National Pork Board, the National Pork Producers Council, the American Association of Swine Veterinarians and USDA are coordinating efforts aimed at controlling and eradicating the infection.

Dr Paul Sundberg, the vice president science and technology with the National Pork Board, says the lessons being learned from this virus will be helpful in dealing with future disease situations.

Dr Paul Sundberg-National Pork Board

PED is a virus that nobody wanted to get here in the US and I hope that it doesn't go to Canada or anywhere else but I think that also PED has given us an opportunity to look at the future of the ability we have to address emerging diseases in our swine herds.

We need to take advantage of this opportunity to better understand the capabilities that we have, those that we need to have in the future and use those to our advantage for swine health number one but also because it will be extremely important in understanding our capabilities should we get a foreign animal disease like foot and mouth.

So, while certainly nobody wanted to have this virus, we need to contain it and if we can eliminate it.

We also need to learn the lessons that this provides us because it will also help us to plan for the future.

DrSundberg stresses anything producers can do to harden their biosecurity programs is the best way they can prevent the spread of this disease.

He says there can't be enough emphasis put on preventing any type of feces coming onto a farm.